A man found and captured in Santa Cruz County was turned over to Mexican law enforcement Wednesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at a border crossing.

Heriberto Gomez Galicia, aka Ramiro Gomez Lopez, is wanted for seven murders in his home Mexican state of Oaxaca. One of the murder victims was an 8-year-old boy, and ICE agents described Gomez as a suspected "mass murderer."

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According to Mexican authorities, a massacre happened on Oct. 9, 1991.

A warrant issued by police in Oaxaca alleges that Gomez, 62, was feuding with a local family.

Gomez, along with his two brothers, stalked the family’s patriarch as he tended his livestock. When the father fled, the trio sought out other members of the family and carried out the attack, according to the warrant.

Six of those targeted in the assault were children, including a 3-year-old child who was injured and an 8-year-old boy who was killed.

In the fall of 2014, U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force investigators received a lead regarding Gomez’s possible whereabouts. The information indicated the fugitive might have used his dead brother's name to register a vehicle in California. Subsequently, the Task Force obtained a copy of the outstanding arrest warrant and a photo lineup featuring the murder suspect.

In Nov. 16, 2014, Gomez was found at his house in Watsonville and taken into custody.

Gomez used four aliases that allowed him to illegally obtain work authorization and identification documents, including a California driver’s license and a MediCal California Benefits Card, according to a sworn statement he gave to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers.

Following his arrest, ICE detained Gomez as a flight and public safety risk while his deportation case was pending before the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review.

On April 16, an immigration judge with EOIR paved the way for this week’s repatriation.

“For the victims in this case, justice has been a long time coming, but they can take consolation in the fact that the alleged assailant is now being held accountable,” said Timothy Aitken, field office director for ERO San Francisco. “This fugitive’s arrest and repatriation are the direct result of the ongoing cooperation between U.S. law enforcement and our Mexican counterparts. Violent criminals who commit reprehensible crimes and believe they can evade justice by fleeing to the U.S. should be on notice -- they will find no refuge here.”

After he was deported, Gomez was transferred to the custody of representatives from the Mexican Attorney General’s Office.

"The U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force tracks down and apprehends violent criminals daily," said Don O'Keefe, the U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of California. "This case demonstrates the effectiveness of the partnership between our federal, state, and local partners by denying a dangerous and violent fugitive sanctuary on the streets of our cities."

Since October 2009, ERO has removed more than 900 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder.

"The Marshals Service in Northern California will continue to pursue fugitives abroad, as well as foreign fugitives on our soil, so they can be held accountable for their crimes and the victims are able to receive the justice they deserve," O'Keefe said.